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Harry Villegas. 2017. Cuba and Angola: The War for Freedom. Edited by Martín Koppel and Mary-Alice Waters. New York: Pathfinder Press. 121 pp.
Representing a nationalist narrative, Cuba and Angola assesses Cuba's contribution to the freedom not only of Angola but other African countries from imperialistic attacks. It is a firsthand account of Cuba's military mission in Angola targeting "the political education of new generations of revolutionary combatants" (p. 22). This was one of Cuba's largest and longest internationalist missions which spanned from 1975 to 1991. The mission witnessed over 425,000 Cuban volunteers serving in Angola culminating in both the freedom of Angola and the strengthening of the Cuban revolution. The internationalist mission was named Operation Carlota reflecting Cuba's ties with Africa which dates back to the era of the slave trade. The book reflects a history of a small third world country that heeded the call for help from other third world countries in spite of limited resources.
Written in a novel style, the book has seven themes (chapters) and an introduction by editor Mary-Alice Waters. The introduction provides a brief background of what the book is...